Utah Central Railway (of 1992)
This page was last updated on March 3, 2011.
Overview
Utah Central Railway is a shortline operating in and around Ogden, Utah. The road has two separate segments:
The first segment, which was also their first operating location, is the former Southern Pacific plant trackage at the Little Mountain industrial complex, on the eastern shore of Great Salt Lake. UCRY is under contract from Westinghouse Electric to perform the switching at Western Zirconium at Little Mountain.
The second segment shares the old D&RGW yard at Ogden with Utah Railway. UCRY has the three or four north tracks and Utah Railway has the rest. Utah Central switches Dyce Chemical, right in the Ogden Yard and the grain elevator on the north side of the old D&RGW yard. The also operates west on the old D&RGW main to the old Amalgamated sugar works. Utah Central owns all the tracks at the sugar works, about seven miles.
Another description of Utah Central from the now defunct UtahDepot web site:
The Utah Central Railway (UCRY) is a small switching line in the Ogden Utah area. They switch the Simplot AgriSource Grain Elevator on 21st street. In addition to the grain elevator, UCRY services Dyce Chemical on the west end of the main yard, along with industry at the Ogden Industrial Park (Stratford) and Ogden Sugar Works. Major commodities include chemicals, asphalt, diesel fuel, plastic, coil steel, utility poles, sugar, wheat and lumber. The Utah Central Railway has a history which can be traced back to 1869. The current operation is based out of the Amalgamated Sugar factory site at West Haven. The road has 10 employees, two SW 1500 units, and handles around 3,500 carloads per year. Interchange is between UP in the Ogden main yard or BNSF at Transfer (West) yard. For their first motive power, they used former Air Force GE 44 ton switchers. They now run two SW1500s painted black, UCRY 82 and 83. They also used a UP caboose from Ogden Union Station, but repainted it in UCRY colors. It's now back at the station wearing its UCRY paint and they now have an MP caboose. (May 2002, from http://utahdepot.railfan.net/UCRY.htm; web site no longer available)
(click here for Utah Central locomotive information)
Timeline
September 23, 1992
Utah Central Railway (UCRY) began rail operations over lines owned by Westinghouse Electric Corporation totaling 2.75 miles located in Utah.
The company started with five employees and interchanged with Southern Pacific. It operated from two separate locations. (Railroad Retirement Board Employer Determination 94-25)
In September 1992, a local switching road called Utah Central Railway, began operations serving the Simplot grain storage facilities situated in Rio Grande's former West Yard. At the same time, the road began switching rail cars for Westinghouse Electric at their Western Zirconium plant at Little Mountain, providing interchange cars for both SP and UP. (Ogden Rails, second edition, page 162)
August 14, 2001
Utah Central Railway leased from Union Pacific the following Ogden area trackage:
- Former D&RGW Transfer Yard, mile posts 781 to 788, including passing and stub tracks
- Evona Industrial Lead
- Relico Spur
- Sugar Works Spur
- Dyce Bypass Track, up to the point of switch to the Shasta Lead Track
- Tracks 713 and 714, serving Dyce Chemical
- (STB Finance Docket 34051, service date August 22, 2001)
After nine years of early operations in D&RGW's former Ogden yard, in August 2001, Utah Central leased from UP, the former D&RGW Transfer Yard, UP's Evona Industrial Lead, and the connecting Sugar Works Spur. By early 2000, prior to taking the formal lease of the trackage, Utah Central handled 3,500 cars per year. In January 2004, the road assumed contract switching services for the Business Depot Ogden, the privatized former U. S. Army Defense Depot Ogden. (Ogden Rails, second edition, page 162)
May 2003
Utah Central Railway, Ogden, Utah, purchased Denver & Rio Grande Western caboose 01480 in May 2003. The graffiti covered caboose had been stored at UP's Denver Locomotive Shop, Denver, Colo., in recent years.
The caboose was to be overhauled in Denver and then shipped to Ogden, UT. (Trainorders.com, May 15, 2003)
June 2003
Ex SP B30-7 7780 was in service on Utah Central, in full SP paint.
February 6, 2004
Utah Central Railway received federal Surface Transportation Board approval to operate over 15 miles of tracks located within Business Depot Ogden (BDO), the former Defense Depot Ogden which was deactivated and turned over the the City Of Ogden on September 30, 1997. The new Business Depot Ogden is a joint venture between Ogden City and The Boyer Company to develop BDO as a light manufacturing, warehousing, and administrative business center. (STB Finance Docket 34457, service date February 6, 2004) (Boyer BDO web site)
November 18, 2005
Utah Central Railway (UCRY) owners organized the new Modoc Northern Railroad (MNRR) to operate and lease (with option to purchase) a portion of Union Pacific's Modoc Subdivision in southern Oregon and northern California. The leased trackage extends 107.15 miles from milepost 552.0 at Texum (Klamath Falls), Oregon, to milepost 445.6 at the end of track near McArthur, California, along with the Lakeview Branch extending approximately 53 miles north from Alturas to Lakeview, Oregon.
Modoc Northern Railroad
November 11, 2005 — Startup day
(click here for a brief history of the original Modoc Northern, and the later SP line)
The connection between the Modoc region and the Blansett family (owners of Utah Central Railway) comes from regular family visits to the area, and seeing an opportunity to organize a shortline railroad venture to take over where the much larger Union Pacific had difficulties operating rail service.
Included in the MNRR operation is the Lakeview Branch, previously sold to Lake County, Oregon in 1997 and operated under contract as the Lake County Railroad. (LCR info1, LCR info2)
Initial MNRR motive power was two GE's, ex Railnet B23-7 1011, and ex SP B30-7 7780, plus ex D&RGW caboose 01480. Another GE unit was to arrive in spring 2006, ex SP 7806.
The units are in a new paint scheme worked out by the owner's wife; green and yellow with car body top of brown. The MNRR 1011 is Railnet engine which last worked in Canada. Both units and the caboose were to run through from Ogden to Roseville. (Trainorders.com, November 3, 2005, reported by Ryan Ballard)
Initial operation was Klamath Falls to Tule Lake on Monday to Friday, and then out to Alturas on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. They are based out of Tule Lake, California, where their equipment (engines, caboose) are kept.
MNRR 7780 was returned to Utah Central Railway in December 2006. MNRR 1011 remained in service, along with LCR 700, in April 2007. (The status of LCR GP9 1761 is unknown; LCR GP7 1617 was used as trade credit for LCR 1761 in 2005.)
Ex Lake County Railroad GP7 700 was painted MN green and yellow in August 2007.
MNRR SD9s 650 and 651 were seen fully painted for MNRR in Rochester, New York. on February 3, 2008. Ex Birmingham Southern/ DMI&R SD18/SDM units, repainted by American Motive Power in Danville, New York, with additional work being done by NRE at Dixmoor, Illinois; still at NRE as of May 25, 2008; delivered to MNRR at Klamath Falls during July and August 2008, along with MNRR 652, ex Yreka Western SD9 439.
MN 100, an ex CB&Q (BNSF 3647) SW1000 built in 1966, arrived on MNRR rails on May 24, 2008.
Ex D&RGW steel caboose 01480 has remained on MNRR.
Additional MNRR information is available here.
December 2006
Modoc Northern Railroad B30-7 7780 was returned to Utah Central Railway at Ogden.
At some time in mid 2007, the Blansett family divided their railroad interests among members of the family, with ownership of Modoc Northern Railroad going to one side of the family, and other family members taking full ownership of Utah Central Railway.
October 2007
Negotiations began for sale of Utah Central Railway to Patriot Rail.
November 8, 2007
Patriot Rail applied to the federal Surface Transportation Board for approval to purchase and control the Utah Central Railway. (STB Finance Docket 35102, service date November 15, 2007)
January 3, 2008
Utah Central Railway (UCRY) was sold to Patriot Rail Corporation of Boca Raton, Florida.
The following is excerpted from The Salt Lake Tribune, January 3, 2008:
"Utah Central is exactly the kind of railroad we're interested in acquiring," said Stan Wlotko, senior vice president of operations at Patriot Rail. "It has a strong customer base and operates in an area where business and industry are growing."
Utah Central was established in 1992 by William and Beth Blansett. It operates 34 miles of track formerly owned by Union Pacific. Last year, its five locomotives and 17 employees handled approximately 8,500 rail cars. Utah Central also has a long-term agreement to provide rail switching services at the Ogden Business Depot industrial park.
Patriot Rail was organized in 2006 by Gary O. Marino, who in 1986 co-founded RailAmerica and built that company into the world's largest short-line and regional railroad holding company with more than 2,800 employees, $500 million in revenue and more than 15,000 miles of track.
Patriot Rail and Utah Central's two individual owners first agreed to the purchase on October 29, 2007. The sale was to take effect on November 29, 2007. The final sale was delayed until the details of the confidential sale were submitted to the federal Surface Transportation Board. (STB Finance Docket 35102, service date November 8, 2007)
Patriot Rail Chronology
November 16, 2006 — Patriot Rail Corporation formed by Gary O. Marino, co-founder and former chairman, president and CEO of RailAmerica, Inc. At the same time, the newly formed company announced its first acquisition, the 118-mile Tennessee Southern Railroad (TSRR). In May 2007, the Tennessee Southern Railroad, reported a 53 percent increase in carloads in its first six months operating under Patriot Rail.
Gary Marino left RailAmerica upon his retirement in April 2004. He and his brother John had formed RailAmerica in 1986. After his no-competition agreement with RailAmerica expired, he gathered some of his former executives and organized Patriot Rail. The purchase of Utah Central Railway in January 2008 gave Patriot Rail a total of three short-line railroads operating over 246 miles of track.
May 1, 2007 — Patriot Rail Corporation purchased the Rarus Railway Corporation , a short line railroad headquartered in Anaconda, Montana. Application was made to the federal Surface Transportation Board on April 13, 2007.
Rarus Railway provides freight service over 26 miles of main line track between Anaconda and Butte, Montana. In addition, it operates 40 miles of rail line, including main line tracks, side tracks, and four switching yards. Rarus also operates a locomotive roundhouse, wheel shop and machine shop in West Anaconda. In 2006, the railroad hauled 11,512 carloads, primarily copper tailings, impacted soils, copper concentrates and slag with its fleet of 12 locomotives.
The acquisition, from the McCarthy family of Anaconda, Montana included the Copper King Express, a popular excursion train that last year carried approximately 10,000 round-trip passengers between Anaconda and Butte. Patriot said it will continue to operate the Express and is developing a program to expand ridership and provide additional services.
The Rarus Railway's original rail line was built in the 1890s to serve the Anaconda Company, which operated copper mines in Butte, along with a smelting operation in Anaconda. The downtown Anaconda corporate office also serves as a museum and staging area for the Copper King Express tourist train.
July 19, 2007 — Rarus Railway officially changed its name to the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway Company. The name change has historical significance as the Rarus Railway traces its Montana heritage to the historic BA&P Railroad, which was built in the 1890s.
The original Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railroad was incorporated in 1892 to serve the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, which was established in 1891 by Marcus Daly, an Irish-born businessman who also founded the town of Anaconda, Montana. Until the mid-twentieth century, the mine was one of the state's largest employers and provided well-paid jobs for several generations. The BA&P railroad operated primarily to transport copper ore from the copper mines in Butte to the smelting operation in Anaconda. The rail line was electrified in 1913, becoming the first U.S. freight railroad to electrify. The railroad carried both freight and passengers until 1955, and in 1967 began using diesel-electric locomotives in place of electric.
In 1985, the BA&P property was transferred to the State of Montana and the railroad was purchased by Rarus that same year. In 2005, Rarus created the Copper King Express excursion passenger train, bringing passenger service back to the BA&P line for the first time in over 50 years.
The new Butte, Anaconda and Pacific Railway operates over a total of 63 rail miles, with 26 miles of main line track running between Anaconda and Butte, Montana. BA&P interchanges freight traffic at Silver Bow, Montana, with Class I carriers Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad utilizes 12 locomotives and its major customers include Atlantic Richfield Co., Montana Resources LLP, State of Montana and Thompson Distributing, Inc.
The Copper King Express excursion train offers tourists a scenic 52-mile round-trip ride in luxury passenger cars through Durant Canyon and many historic points of interest. The train operates June through September and has special event trains, theater trains, museum tours and dinner trains.
January 3, 2008 — Utah Central Railway (UCRY) was sold to Patriot Rail Corporation of Boca Raton, Florida.
March 1, 2008 — Patriot Rail began its operation and control of Sacramento Valley Railroad (SAVR), and to continue SAVR operation of rail service to the McClellan Business Park, the former site of McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, California. (STB Finance Docket 35118, service date February 14, 2008)
August 15, 2008 — Patriot Rail began its operation and control of Sierra & Central Pacific Railroad's two subsidiary roads, Sierra Northern Railway, and Sierra Railroad, a total of about 80 miles all in California. (STB Finance Docket 35166, service date August 1, 2008)
September 23, 2008
From a news release dated September 23, 2008:
MAUMEE, Ohio and BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Andersons, Inc. and Patriot Rail Corp. ("Patriot") today announced that The Andersons, Inc. recently opened a new railcar repair shop in Ogden, Utah, on the property of Patriot's wholly-owned railroad subsidiary, the Utah Central Railway ("UCRY").
This is the second railcar repair shop The Andersons has opened this year with Patriot Rail. In March 2008, The Andersons opened a car repair shop in Anaconda, Montana, at Patriot's Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway. At UCRY's Ogden, Utah location, The Andersons will perform railcar maintenance and repair services on railcars owned by third parties, as well as railcars managed by The Andersons.
"Our overall strategy includes providing quality repairs and outstanding customer service at locations throughout the United States," said Rasesh Shah, President of The Andersons' Rail Group. "The opening of the location in Utah fits well with this strategy and enables us to continue to grow our relationship with Patriot Rail."
Gary O. Marino, Chairman, President and CEO of Patriot Rail Corp., said, "We welcome The Andersons to our Utah railroad and look forward to further expanding our relationship to our other rail properties in the future. These car repair shops provide 'one-stop shopping' for railcar owners needing to have their cars repaired at a convenient location. At the same time, our railroads are able to better utilize their facilities and increase non-freight related income."
About The Andersons, Inc.
The Andersons, Inc. is a diversified company with interests in the grain, ethanol and plant nutrient sectors of U.S. agriculture, as well as in railcar leasing and repair, turf products production, and general merchandise retailing. Founded in Maumee, Ohio, in 1947, the company now has operations in 12 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, plus rail equipment leasing interests in Canada and Mexico. For more, visit The Andersons online.
About Patriot Rail Corp.
Patriot Rail Corp. is a short line and regional freight railroad holding company based in Boca Raton, Florida. The Company owns and operates five short line freight railroads comprising 321 total rail miles - the Tennessee Southern Railroad in Tennessee and Alabama, the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway in Montana, the Utah Central Railway in Utah, the Sacramento Valley Railroad in California, and the Louisiana & North West Railroad in Louisiana and Arkansas. For more, visit Patriot Rail online.
Locomotives
| Road Number |
Locomotive Model |
Previous Number |
Builder Number |
Date Built |
Date To UCRy |
Date Retired |
Notes |
| UCRY 82 | SW1500 | NS 82 | 73635-1 | Jan 1974 | 30 Apr 1997 | 30 Dec 2002 | 1 |
| UCRY 83 | SW1500 | NS 83 | 73635-2 | Jan 1974 | 30 Apr 1997 | 30 Dec 2002 | 2 |
| UCRY 1237 | GE 44 ton | USAF 1237 | 3 | ||||
| UCRY 1244 | GE 44 ton | USAF 1244 | 31882 | Feb 1953 | 4 | ||
| USAF 1604 | 5 | ||||||
| USAF 1637 | 6 | ||||||
| UCRY 3104 | B23-7 | SCL | 7 | ||||
| UCRY 7750 | B30-7 | SP 7750 | 41864 | Mar 1978 | 8 | ||
| UCRY 7780 | B30-7 | SSW 7780 | 42794 | Mar 1980 | 9 | ||
| UCRY 8501 | B39-8 | LMX 8501 | 45410 | Oct 1987 | Feb 2007 | 10 | |
| DLA 53205 | H10-44 | DLA | 11 | ||||
| GE 70 ton | 12 |
General Notes:
| a. | Utah Central Railway uses UCRY as its AAR reporting mark. |
| b. | In addition to locomotives shown above, at times UCRY has leased small and large locomotives on a temporary basis. These include ex SP B30-7s 7742 and 7880, both used on short-term leases from UP during 2003. |
| c. | UCRY also uses an ex U. S. Army H10-44 to switch Business Depot Ogden; this is a former Defense Logistics Agency locomotive that remained at the Ogden location when ownership of DDO/BDO was transferred to the City of Ogden in September 1997. |
Notes:
| 1. | Utah Central 82 was built as K&IT 82, to Southern Railway 82, to Norfolk Southern 82, retired by NS on 25 June 1996; to Metro-East Industries (dealer); to Helm Financial; leased to Utah Central 82 on 30 April 1997, received by UCRy at Ogden on 7 May 1997; lease expired on 30 December 2002; returned to Helm; to LGE Sand & Gravel at Edwardsville, Kansas by September 2005. (Sources: Locomotive Notes II, Number 198, September-October 1997, page 23, from The Mixed Train; Randy Keller via email on January 9, 2005, citing STB recordations for Helm Financial; Diesel Era, January-February 2006, page 57) |
| 2. | Utah Central 83 was built as K&IT 83, to Southern Railway 83, to Norfolk Southern 83, retired by NS on 25 June 1996; to Metro-East Industries (dealer); to Helm Financial; leased to Utah Central 83 on 30 April 1997, received by UCRy at Ogden in October 1997 due to pre-lease maintenance work needed; lease expired on 30 December 2002; returned to Helm. (part from Locomotive Notes II, Number 199, November-December 1997, page 30, reported by Mike Pohlman; part from Randy Keller via email on January 9, 2005, citing STB recordations for Helm Financial) |
| 3. | USAF 1237 |
| 4. | Utah Central 1244 was built as USAF 1244; sold to Don Blansett on October 15, 1991 for use on Utah Central Railway; sold to OmniTrax in Loveland, Colorado by September 1996; repossessed by OmniTrax due to non-payment; stored as of August 2008 at Loveland, Colo. (information from Norm Metcalf) |
| 5. | Utah Central 1604 was built as USAF 1604, in service on Utah Central by January 1997. (Locomotive Notes II, Number 197, July-August 1997, page 26, reported by Ryan Ballard) |
| 6. | Utah Central 1637 was built as USAF 1637, in service on Utah Central by January 1997 . (Locomotive Notes II, Number 197, July-August 1997, page 26, reported by Ryan Ballard) |
| 7. | UCRY 3104 was leased from Livingston Rebuild Center; built as Seaboard Coast Line 5104, to SBD 5104, to SBD 3104, to CSXT 3104; in service on Utah Central by May 2005 |
| 8. | UCRY 7750 is ex UP/SP 7750, retired by UP on 26 December 2001; in service on Utah Central by July 2002 |
| 9. | MN/UCRY 7780 is ex SSW 7780, retired by UP on 29 January 2001; to Modoc Northern in November 2005; to Utah Central by March 2007 |
| 10. | UCRY 8501 was leased from RLCX (Relco Leasing Company); one of 100 units built and owned by GE and leased to BN, later BNSF; lease expired and returned to GE in July 2001, stored in several locations including Altoona, Pa., then in Chicago; some units sold to CEFX (CIT Finance), and some to ATEL; in about April 2004, 8501 was one of 45 units owned by ATEL and later sold to Relco while stored in Chicago, all 45 Relco units leased to CSX by October 2004; all of the Relco units later sold to NRE. (see LocoNotes messages 47643 and 51693 for disposition of all 100 units) |
| 11. | Former Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) 53205 owned by City of Ogden, Utah, along with all of Business Depot Ogden which is the former Defense Depot Ogden. Used by Utah Central to switch the BDO trackage under contract to City of Ogden. |
| 12. | Utah Central acquired three GE 70-ton locomotives from an unknown source in Washington state; two were intended for use and the third was for parts; ex HBM 30, ex SMV 20, and ex SMV 50 (Locomotive Notes II, Number 22, January 2002, page 11, reported by Ryan Ballard) |
Locomotives (Patriot Rail)
| Road Number |
Locomotive Model |
Previous Number |
Builder Number |
Date Built |
Date To UCRy |
Notes |
| (UCRY 100) | NRE (USAX) 4619 | 1 | ||||
| (UCRY 101) | NREX (BNSF) 1642 | 2 | ||||
| (UCRY 102) | NRE (USAX) 1867 | 3 | ||||
| RARW/UCRY 201 | GP9 | BN | 4 | |||
| RARW/UCRY 1010 | GP39-2 | KCC | ||||
| UCRY 1401 | GP15-1 | NS 1401 | 5 | |||
| UCRY 1418 | GP15-1 | NS 1418 | 6 | |||
| UCRY 1496 | GP15-1 | BN 1496 | 767076-22 | Sep 1977 | Feb 2011 | 7 |
General Notes:
| a. | Utah Central Railway 100-102 were painted and lettered for Utah Central in November 2008 but have yet to come to Utah; instead they remain in service on Patriot Rail's Louisiana & North Western line operating out of Gibsland, Louisiana. |
| b. | Rarus Railway/Utah Central GP39-2 1010 was used on Utah Central as early as July 1, 2008; ex Kennecott Copper high-cab GP39-2 |
| c. | Utah Central Railway 1401 and 1418 are former Norfolk Southern 1401 and 1418, and were purchased second-hand by way of Larrys Truck Electric in MacDonald, Ohio; repainted from NS to UCRy during early July 2010 (reported on July 10, 2010) (click here for a photo of UCRy 1401 and 1418 at RailPictures.net) |
Notes:
| 1. | UCRy 100 leased from NRE; ex NREX (USAX) 4619; ex IC GP10 |
| 2. | UCRy 101 leased from NRE; ex NREX (BNSF) 1642; ex IC GP10; previously reported in error as ex NREX (USAX) 4631 |
| 3. | UCRy 102 leased from NRE; ex NREX (USAX) 1867; ex IC GP10 |
| 4. | UCRy 201 is the former Western Maryland number 44 (photo as UCRy 201) |
| 5. | UCRy 1401 was shipped from LTE (Larrys Truck Electric) in late July 2010. |
| 6. | UCRy 1418 was shipped from LTE (Larrys Truck Electric) in late July 2010. |
| 7. | UCRy 1496 was built as SLSF 121; to BN 1396; to BNSF 1496 on 20 August 1998; retired by BNSF on 3 April 2008; released from Larrys Truck Electric at MacDonald, Ohio on 28 February 2011; changed to "Patriot Lines, Utah Central" on March 15, 2011. |
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